Just as Ye Chuan was about to step into the shower to belt out a song, his phone buzzed with a notification.
He picked it up and saw a message from Luo Xi—
Luo Xi: Chuanchuan, what are you up to?
Seeing her message, Ye Chuan casually video-called her back. A few seconds later, the call connected, and Luo Xi’s face appeared on the screen. She was still in her uniform, having only recently parted ways with him, though she had let down her ponytail into long, loose hair.
She blinked her lively, beautiful eyes curiously but noticed that the other side of the screen didn’t show Ye Chuan. Instead, the background seemed to be the bathroom. "Chuanchuan, are you… taking a shower?"
"Yep," Ye Chuan replied, his voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space. "Hey, Luo Beauty, wanna join me?"
Luo Xi’s face instantly flushed red at his words. "That’s so weird! How would we even shower together?"
"I was just asking," Ye Chuan said casually, not actually serious about the idea.
"Fine… but don’t make any noise, okay?" Luo Xi whispered in response.
Ye Chuan, who had been reaching for a towel, paused mid-motion. From the other end of the call, he heard another voice—
"Xixi, are you going to shower?"
"Mhm, I want to wash up early."
The screen remained dark for a moment, shaking slightly before the sound of a bathroom door locking echoed through.
Then the screen lit up again, and Ye Chuan realized Luo Xi had actually stepped into her own bathroom—though only her face was visible as she pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh."
Ye Chuan was a little surprised by her boldness, but from this angle, he couldn’t see much. He chuckled. "Not much of a view here. How about lowering the camera a bit?"
"No way!" Luo Xi huffed.
"Alright, alright," Ye Chuan sighed dramatically. "Can’t even share the goods with your bro?"
"Ugh, you’re the worst!"
The screen shook again, and this time, Ye Chuan caught a glimpse of the upper curves.
"Happy now?" Luo Xi’s face was still bright red.
"Meh, passable."
"Then no more for you!" The call ended with a beep.
Ye Chuan rubbed his nose after Luo Xi hung up. She was so easily flustered these days—nothing like how she was before they started dating.
Still, he found her shyness kind of adorable.
At the very least, he liked it.
Tossing his phone aside and turning on some music, Ye Chuan finally started his shower.
---
After his shower concert, Ye Chuan returned to his room to find Lan Xiaoke had already tidied everything up. The floor gleamed as if it could reflect light, the blankets were neatly folded, and all the trash had been bagged up.
Lan Xiaoke stood there holding a broom, wearing a proud, expectant look.
There was no denying it—her maid outfit suited her perfectly.
"Pretty clean. Good job," Ye Chuan said, glancing around before pulling out his phone. "Here, 300 for you."
"Woohoo!" Lan Xiaoke cheered, rolling mid-air in excitement. She had expected only 100.
"Gotta bounce! Knock on the wall if you need me!" She made to phase through the wall but forgot the broom couldn’t follow—and Ye Chuan’s bed was right against it.
Thud.
The broom dropped onto Ye Chuan’s bed the moment Lan Xiaoke phased through.
Ye Chuan stared blankly at the broom on his sheets: "…"
A second later, Lan Xiaoke’s head popped back out of the wall. Spotting the broom, she made an "OvO" face. "Uh… brooms are kinda slippery, y’know?"
"100 fine." Ye Chuan deadpanned.
"No way!!! Waaahhh!"
---
After Lan Xiaoke cleaned up the bed again (and Ye Chuan didn’t actually deduct any money—after all, she’d earned it), he sat down and raised a hand. A faint white mist rose from his hair.
Within seconds, his damp hair was completely dry.
"Spiritual energy is so handy," Ye Chuan mused. His chaos-attributed spiritual energy was practically all-purpose—just a little heat, and his hair dried instantly.
Once his hair was sorted, he opened his phone and navigated to the alchemy interface.
"280,000 for one set of materials? That’s worse than robbery." He shook his head but still went ahead with the purchase.
[Heavenly Foundation Establishment Pill: 40% success rate, 60% failure rate, 0% chance of explosion (Success depends on pill quality, cauldron quality, and alchemy level.)]
Huh?!
Forty percent?!
You’re telling me 280,000 only gets me a 40% shot at a Heavenly Foundation Establishment Pill?!
Ye Chuan felt his vision darken as he once again considered settling for a Mortal-grade pill.
But he knew the better the foundation, the stronger the cultivation later.
It had to be Heavenly-grade.
Still, gambling 280,000 on a 40% chance was brutal. His funds were limited—he couldn’t afford many attempts.
With that in mind, Ye Chuan decided to upgrade his cauldron first.
A better cauldron would at least boost his odds, and he might need it for future breakthroughs. Rather than throwing money into a black hole, he preferred tangible improvements.
[Upgrade cauldron quality? Cost: 100,000]
[Cauldron upgrade successful!]
[Cauldron: Mystic Furnace (Mid-High Grade)]
[Heavenly Foundation Establishment Pill: 60% success rate, 40% failure rate, 0% chance of explosion.]
Sixty percent?!
Spending 100,000 had bumped his chances by a full 20%.
Now it was over halfway.
Ye Chuan gritted his teeth. "Screw it, I’m going all in!"
With 280,000 gone in a flash, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Come on, I feel it—this is the one. Yeah, it’s gonna be good." After muttering a quick mantra, he opened his eyes—
[Pill refining in progress. Time remaining: 239 hours, 59 minutes.]
[Spend 10,000 to speed up?]
Ye Chuan: "…"
Son of a—
After a mental string of curses, he saw the ten-day wait and, without hesitation, tapped the speed-up option.
He’d already spent this much—no turning back now!
[Congratulations! You have obtained a Heavenly Foundation Establishment Pill. It has been added to your inventory.]
It worked!
"HAHAHA! I actually got it! I DID IT!" Ye Chuan had braced for failure, but seeing the pill in his inventory, his grin stretched ear to ear.